Demarche Request For UNGA Food Security Event

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 093894 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ETRD EAGR UNGA SUBJECT: Demarche Request For UNGA Food Security Event Co-Hosted By The Secretary (S/ES: 200916517) ¶1. This is an ACTION request for all recipient posts with the exception of the following: Embassy Harare, Embassy Khartoum, Embassy Tegucigalpa, and U.S. Interest Section Havana. For these four posts, this cable is INFO only. ¶2. The Secretary and UNSYG Ban Ki-moon will co-host a meeting on Partnering for Food Security on September 26 on the margins of this year's UN General Assembly. Posts are requested to contact appropriate high-level officials (preferably the appropriate host-country minister attending UNGA) to deliver the invitation letter (para 3) and draft statement (para 9) and to encourage participation by the minister (e.g., foreign, agriculture, or development minister) attending UNGA who will have primary responsibility for implementing the host country's food security strategy. Posts should please review additional action requests at para 8. USAU and USUN please see paras 10 and 11 respectively for requests to invite additional officials. Posts should report the results of this demarche as soon as possible, and by September 14 at the latest, via cable slugged for Gary Clements and Mike Lurie, EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT, and Marisa Plowden, Office of the Counselor. If the host government intends to send a representative, but has not determined who, please report planned attendance. There will be no signed original. ¶3. Begin text of letter: Dear Mr./Madam Minister: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon joins me in inviting you to a meeting on Partnering for Food Security to be held at 4:00 p.m. on September 26, 2009, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The meeting will focus on five key principles to achieve food security: (1) investment in country-led plans; (2) a comprehensive approach to food security that includes support for humanitarian assistance, sustainable agricultural development, and nutrition; (3) strategic coordination of assistance; (4) a strong role for multilateral institutions; and (5) a sustained commitment of financial resources. Leaders, including those who endorsed a Joint Statement on Global Food Security at the L'Aquila G-8 Summit in July and pledged to commit $20 billion to the effort over the next three years, will speak to these principles and invite others to support them. Your participation in this event will highlight the importance all of our countries place on achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving the percentage of people experiencing extreme hunger and poverty by the year 2015. Please have your staff inform the U.S. Embassy whether you plan to attend this meeting. I hope to see you in New York on September 26. Sincerely yours, Hillary Rodham Clinton End text. ¶4. Secretary Clinton and UN SYG Ban Ki-moon will host a global food security event with world leaders on September 26 on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The aim of the event is to broaden support for the principles established at the L'Aquila G-8 Summit, centered on a country-led approach to advancing food security. We intend to release from the event a statement of principles (the "Statement"-- see draft text below). Posts are requested to convey the Secretary's invitation to an appropriate host- country minister attending UNGA, urging attendance at this meeting, and to share with them the draft statement. ¶5. World leaders gathered at the L'Aquila G-8 summit in July issued a Joint Statement on Global Food Security that was endorsed by 26 countries - including several developing countries and emerging economies - and international organizations. The Joint Statement included commitments to support a global food security effort whose core principles are country ownership and effectiveness. STATE 00093894 002 OF 003 ¶6. Secretary Clinton will use the occasion of the UNGA to gain broader acceptance for the principles set forth in the L'Aquila Joint Statement and echoed in our Statement. She will co-host, with UN SYG Ban Ki-moon, a meeting at UNGA that will include leaders from a broad range of countries, as well as other stakeholders such as foundations, the private sector, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. The meeting will focus on five key principles to achieve food security: (1) investment in country-led plans; (2) a comprehensive approach to food security that includes support for humanitarian assistance, sustainable agriculture development, and nutrition; (3) strategic coordination of assistance; (4) a strong role for multilateral institutions; and (5) a sustained commitment of financial resources. Secretary Clinton and UN SYG Ban will ask representatives from different countries to illuminate each of the five principles for achieving food security and will invite additional speakers to comment on these presentations. We expect that those countries that endorsed the L'Aquila Joint Statement will advocate these principles, as outlined in the Statement, and invite others to endorse them. ¶7. Following this meeting, we expect to work with partner countries and others to ensure implementation of comprehensive country-led food security investment plans in a number of countries over the next year. We expect the Statement to get media attention and to be circulated widely among key stakeholders to build global support for the five principles. On September 14-15 the United States and the government of Italy will hold in Washington a technical meeting with donor- and partner- countries that attended the G-8 L'Aquila Summit in preparation for the UNGA event. These countries will produce a work plan and schedule that we anticipate will be released alongside the Statement at the UNGA meeting. ¶8. Posts should share the draft statement with host- country officials and relay any comments via cable. We hope that those countries that endorsed the L'Aquila joint statement will advocate these principles, as outlined in the Statement, and we invite others to endorse them as well. Any queries by governments about speaking roles for ministers should be conveyed in the same cable. Posts are encouraged to meet with UN Resident Coordinators, where appropriate, to discuss how best to engage the host country on the principles outlined in the draft Statement and discuss opportunities for follow-up beyond UNGA. ¶9. Begin text of draft Statement, "Partnering For Food Security": Today, more than one billion people are hungry. This is unacceptable. The world community must act together on a scale and with the urgency needed to help countries and their people achieve food security. To advance sustainable approaches to reduce hunger and poverty, global efforts and partnerships should support country-led food security plans. The following principles set forth at the July 2009 L'Aquila G-8 summit, and in accordance with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, will guide collective actions: (1) Country-led plans: Sustainable approaches to reducing hunger and poverty should be country-led. Country-led food security and agriculture development plans must be technically sound, reflect domestic investment and political will, and be developed in consultation with key domestic and international stakeholders, including farmers, development partners, the private sector, civil society, foundations, and research institutions. (2) Comprehensive approach to food security: It is necessary to address the full range of issues that affect hunger and food security, from increasing sustainable agricultural and economic growth to meeting emergency needs and addressing under-nutrition. Markets must be developed and regions integrated economically, while maintaining the natural resource base and helping small-holder farmers, including women. (3) Effective coordination of assistance: Assistance should be coordinated at the country, regional, and global levels, including through multi-donor partnerships and funds to support country-led plans. STATE 00093894 003 OF 003 Public benchmarks and targets for efficacy, effective monitoring, reporting, and peer review should be developed to better coordinate assistance. All vested stakeholders should participate in ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and accountability while eliminating duplication and gaps. (4) Strong role for multilateral institutions: The United Nations and international financial institutions should support and partner on this approach to achieving food security. (5) Sustained commitment of financial resources: Multi- year financial resources and technical assistance should be committed, with contributions and progress tracked annually. The collective application of these principles will support comprehensive country-led food security strategies through inclusive stakeholder participation. Multiple institutions and forums will coordinate global efforts. The United Nations, its specialized agencies and bodies, the World Bank and international financial institutions, regional economic communities, and other international groups, institutions, and forums should support the application of these principles. End draft statement. ¶10. Additional action for USAU: post is requested to invite Chairman Jean Ping of the Commission of the African Union. ¶11. Additional action for USUN New York and Rome: Posts are requested to invite David Nabarro, Coordinator, High Level Task Force; Josette Sheeran, Executive Director, World Food Program; Jacques Diouf, Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization; Kanayo Nwanze, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Ann Veneman, Executive Director, UNICEF; John Holmes, Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs; and Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. ¶12. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. CLINTON